Known apparatus, systems and methods to remotely read utility meters fall generally into two major categories. The prior art of the first category uses wirelines to send signals containing meter readings to a central location. The prior art of the second category uses radio frequency electromagnetic waves to wirelessly send signals containing meter readings to a central location. Known apparatus, systems and methods of the second category can be sub-classified into several groups. One group of systems disadvantageously requires a receiver at each utility meter for receiving a signal that prompts a transmitter at the utility meter to transmit another signal containing a reading of the meter. Systems of this group also disadvantageously require a transmitter at the central location or at a mobile vehicle. A second group of systems, have transmitters at each utility meter that make numerous asynchronous pseudo-random transmissions in the expectation that one of the transmissions will be received by the central location. Transmissions made in systems of this second group require identification information to be transmitted with the meter reading information so that the transmitted meter reading information can be matched with a particular utility meter. The requirement of transmitting identification information disadvantageously lengthens the duration of each transmission. Furthermore, making a plurality of transmissions to convey one meter reading unnecessarily increases radio frequency congestion.
Thus, what is needed are a method and apparatus for wirelessly transmitting readings of utility meters without using a receiver at the utility meter for receiving prompts, while keeping the duration of transmissions from the utility meter to a minimum length. Also needed are a method and apparatus for correlating a plurality of transmissions, received from a plurality of utility meters at a remote receiving site, with each of the plurality of utility meters.